Fővárosi Állat- és Növénykert (Zoo Budapest)

The Budapest Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in the world. The idea for it first arose in the 1820s, but it didn’t open its gates until 1866. It is located in the 14th district on the northwestern edge of City Park, making it centrally located. In addition to Hungarian species, the zoo initially housed several rare monkey species, parrots, camels, kangaroos, and other unique animals. However, there were no crowd-drawing attractions like lions, tigers, or elephants at that time. In 1907, the zoo was taken over by the City of Budapest and reopened in 1912 with the most beautiful and modern facilities. During World War II, it was almost completely destroyed, and only 15 of the 2,000 animals survived. In 1945, the Budapest Zoo restarted with only a few dozen animals and dilapidated buildings. In the years that followed, it was gradually improved. To this day, the zoo continues to be modernized and redesigned to better suit the animals’ needs. Today, over 300 species live at the zoo, and the area has been expanded over the years to more than 17 hectares. The animals live together in areas that represent their natural habitats. For example, numerous monkeys can be found in the “Madagascar Zone,” sloths and piranhas in “America Tropicana,” and Indian lions in the “Savanna Zone.”